Acetylene-gas generator



(No Model.)

J. H. COUPER & T. A. BRYAN.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR;

N0. Patented June '7, 1898.

v .f .12 2. i 2. l I 4 1 I l [10 14 l1 I MM I UH. w I A. l H l I r H II -n I w INVENTOR. 0

WITNESSES Y E N M W nn linurnn STATE ENI Mirr JAMES H. COUPER AND THOMAS BRYAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part or Letters Pate nt m). 605,398, dated June 7, 1898.

7 Application filed oats 5,1897.

To all whom it may concerns Be it known that we, JAMES H. COUPER and THOMAS A. BRYAN, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Acetylene-Gas Generators, of which the following is a specitor, and Fig. 2 the details of an automatic self-oiling valve. 1

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 and 2 are gasometertanks, and 3 and at the movable parts or floats which rise and fall according to the quantity of gas generated. Gasometer 2 is shown wholly in section and gasometer l partly in section in order to show plainly both the in-. terior and exterior construction.

5 is a funnel-shaped tankwhich is filled with Water to about the level shown in the drawings, and itisrigidly fastened to tank 1 by means of the supporting-rods (Sand 7.

8 is a'bucket placed under the gasonieter 1 and connected to the vessel 5 by means of the pipe 9 and coupling 10. 11 is avalve placed in said pipe, which is opened and closed by a valve-stem 12 and hand-wheel 13, which extend beyond the outer shell of the tank 1. The coupling 10 is provided withhandles by which it maybe turned and the bucket 8 disconnected from the gasometer.

14 is a pipe which may be connected with a water-supply by the valve 15.

16 is a pipe leading from the top of the float 3 into the tank 5, and 17 a funnel through which water may be poured into 5 by way of the pipe 16. 18 is a valve placed in said pipe. This pipe 16 is used only when there is no packed with the same substance.

Serial No. 654,118. (No model.)

suitable water-supply to be connected at 15. In case too much water should be poured into 5 the valve 15 may be opened and the water drained down to the level of the point where pipe 14 enters tank 5. I

Thetank 1 has an .interior'lining 19, the space'between it and the outer shell being filled with :magnesia or some other suitable substance which is apoor conductor of heat.

The tank 5 also has an interior liningBO, the space between it and the outer shell. being The space between tanks 1 and 5 is filled with oil (or some liquid with a low freezing temperature) to about the level shown in the drawings. In some cases we may dispense with the mag 'nesia and simply have the air-spaces between the two shells of 1 and 5, air being itself a poor conductor of heat. water upon the carbid forming acetylene gas liberates the latent heat of the carbid and warms the water and the gas, and this action, together withlthe oil and magnesia packing,

The action of thevery thoroughly protects the water and makes the apparatus'a non-freezing machines Suspended from the top of the float3 is a perforated basket 21, holding the carbid.

22 is a rod extending from the basket to the outside of the float 3 and operated I by the hand-wheel 23. By turning 23 back and forth the basket may be shaken and the residue left from the action of the water on the carbid caused to drop from the bottom of the basket, falling through the water into the bucket 1 8. It is not absolutelylnecessary for the successful operation of the generator toshake 21, as the residue will fall of its own accord into 8; but it might at certain times become caked in the bottom of the basket, and the shaker is used to provide against this. The jbasket,however, should be thoroughly shaken before a new charge ofcarbid is dropped into it, as there is always a certain amount of moist residue left in the basket,'which if not shaken out would cause the fresh carbid to give off gas even though it were not touching the water in 5.

24E is a receptacle in which carbid is placed before being dropped into the basket.

25 is a hand-wheel, and 26 a rod, by means from the gasometer 1.

adouble shell, the interior lining of which is The space between the outer and inner of which the bottom of the receptacle may be removed and the carbid precipitated into the basket 21.

27 is the delivery-pipe for conducting the gas from gasometer l'into gasometer 2.

28 and 29 are rollers which run on the pipes 30 and 31 as the float 3 rises or falls. The pipe'31 is simply used as a guide for one of the rollers and has a plug 32' on its upper end. Pipe 30, however, has a safety-valve 33 at the top, which normally is closed, as shown, but may be opened by the rod 34 when the float 3 rises and comes in contact with the roller 35.

Gasometer 2 is provided as an additional storage for gas andin some cases is dispensed with entirely, the gas being taken directly Gasometer 2 also has 36. shell is filled with oil (or some other suitable liquid having a low freezing temperature) to the level shown in the drawings. The float 4 rises and falls in the oil between the two shells of gasometer 2, as shown. ducted from gasometer 1 to gasometer 2 by the pipe 27, in which is an automatic valv-e temperature of the gas.

37. This valve is in motion a great part of the time and is also subjected to the high It is made self-oiling and has an oil-cup 37 attached to it. This oil-cup performs the double duty of lubricating the valve and preventing corrosion or erosion by the action of the gas. 37 is opened and closed by the system of rods 38, 39, and 40, connected to the top of the float 4. The nut 41 on the rod limits the upward motion of the float, said float being shown in its highest position in the figure.

In this position the valve 37 is closed and hav-' ing a certain lap will not open until the float falls to a position shown by the dotted lines. The pipe 42 is the gasdelivery from the gasometer2,havi-ng a valve 43 for shutting off the supply when desired. This pipe also acts as a guide for the float 4; but this feature is not essential, as some other pipe or rod may be used for the same purpose.

45 is a drain-cock placed in the bottom of gasometer 2, so that any water which may collect from condensation either in gasometer 2 or the pipes connecting gasometer 1 and gasometer 2 may be drained off.

The float 3 has two glass ports placed in the top, so that the inside of the generator may be inspected. the other being directly opposite it, so that upon looking through one port the light admitted from the other one on the opposite side enables the observer to see clearly inside when only gasometer l is used, the supply of gas being taken directly from pipe 27 without passing through the gasometer 2, there is a means of draining off any condensed moisture which may have collected in the pipes. At certain times it may be necessary to close Gas is con- One of the ports 46 is shown, 1

the pipe 27, connecting gasometers 1 and 2, in order to repair one or the other of the gasometers. The valve 48 is provided for this purpose.

Referring to Fig. 2, the construction of the valve 37 is shown. 37 is the oil-cup, and 50 and 51 glands for admitting oil to the valve. We are aware that this construction of a lubricating device for a valve is not new; but its use in our acetylene-gas generator is new and essential, and the automatically-oiled valve cooperates withthe automatic gas-generator to maintain the valve in working order under conditions which without the automatic oiler would clog the valve and stopthe apparatus.

The operation of the generator is as follows: 5 is first filled with water from a source of supply connected at 15 or through the funnel17 and pipe 16 if such a supply is not available. Oarbid is placed in the receptacle 24, and, the top having been fastened, the

"bottom is removed by pulling out the rod 26 and the carbid dropped into the basket 21. If the basket is in contact with the water in 5, gas is immediately generated, filling both gasometersl and 2, since the valve 37 is open when the float 4 is down. As the supply of gas increases the floats 3 and 4 both rise, the float 3 raising the carbid out of the water to a position such as shown by the dotted lines and stopping the generation of gas, and the float 4, when it reaches the position shown by the dotted lines, closes the valve 37. If the generation of gas in gasometer 1 has been too rapid, the float 3 will rise and open the valve 33 and allow a certain quantity of gas to escape, thus preventing any undue pressure in gasometer 1. This, however, never happens unless all the carbid is dropped into the water due to the breaking of the basket. As the gas is drawn off from gasometer 2 through the delivery-pipe 42 float 4 falls and opens valve 37 again, admitting more gas into gasometer 2 from gasometer 1, thus keeping up the supply in gasometer 2. The gas will flow from gasometer 1 into gasometer 2 because the pressure per square inch in gasometer 1 is greater than in gasometer 2,due to the float 3 being heavier than the float 4. When a sufficient quantity of gas has been drawn from gasometer 1, the float 3 will fall to a position where the carbid in basket 21 comes in contact with the water, a further quantity of gas will be generated, and the supply kept up in gasometer 1. After the generator has been workinga sufficient time to allow the bucket 8 to be filled with the residue of slaked lime the valve 11 is closed, coupling 10 unscrewed,

. and the bucket removed and the contents 47 is a drain-cock placed in pipe 27, so that 1 emptied. The bucket 8 and pipe 9 being both full of water when the coupling is unscrewed, some water will overflow, and the bucket 8 is provided with a rim, as shown, to

catch this overflow.

It is not essential for the successful worklng of our generator that two gasolneters be used, as gasometer 2 may be dispensed with and the gas drawn directly from pipe 27. We are aware that generators have heretofore been used in which the gas is generated by automatically bringing the carbid into contactwith water, and We do notclaim this,

tained within the Well and holder, the walls of said receptacle also constructed to contain Maryland, this 2d a material which is a poor non-conductor of heat, and a perforated receptacle for calcium carbid suspended from the holder and adapted to be dipped into the water as the gas is drawn 0E, in combination with a gasometer connected to the generator by a pipe with a self-lubricatin g valve located therein and 0perated by the float of the gasometer in such a way as to open the pipe when the float is down, thereby admitting gas from the generator.

Signed at Baltimore city, in the State of 0 dayof October, A. D. 1897. W

JAMES H. COUPER.

THOMAS A. BRYAN. Witnesses:

A.H. FISHER, J. E. GODWIN. 

